Five climate myths debunked from 'it's all China's fault' to 'renewables costly'

These were the top five.

One. “But what about China?” Two. There is no climate change. Three. It’s just the weather and 1976 was hotter. Four. Renewables are too expensive. Five. Solar panels should be on roofs and car parks, not land.

Each of these is a myth.

Myth 1. It’s all China’s fault. The “Well, what about China?” question was a common, if illogical, response. China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, but no surprise there – it is the world’s second-largest economy with the second-largest population, but on a per-person basis is only in 37th place in the world’s list of emitters. So hardly a “top producer” of greenhouse gases.

China is aiming to decarbonise by 2060, only ten years behind our 2050 target. China’s investment in renewables last year was $US326bn. The EU’s was $US146bn. The UK’s investment was about $US25bn. The US and Canada were about $US120bn. There is a reason all our major competitors are investing in renewables – they all see it as a way of reducing energy prices, removing reliance on imported fossil fuels and enhancing national security.

A related myth is that the UK produces only 1 per cent of the world’s emissions. Yes, but we are 0.8 per cent of the world’s population – so we are emitting more than our fair share.

Every major nation in the world is making the transition from fossil fuels to renewables. The UK can’t be left behind.

There is no logic to the argument that we should do nothing because China isn’t either. China is doing a lot.

Myth 2. Is it even happening? Our climate is changing – and we know why: greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels to generate the energy we need. If we want to stop climate change, we need to stop burning coal, gas and oil. But here’s the dilemma: without energy, our economy grinds to a halt; we can’t stop overnight; but we can make a steady transition away from fossil fuels to renewables. And that’s the plan. By 2030, nearly all our electricity will come from renewables; by 2050, almost all our energy will come from renewables.

Myth 3. 1976 was hotter. It’s weather, not climate change. Yes, 1976 was a hot year. But it is not even in the top ten hottest years in the UK. All the top ten hottest years have occurred this century and all of those have happened since 2007. That’s not weather – that’s climate change.

Myth 4. Renewables are expensive. Another common myth was that renewables are expensive. Yes, electricity prices in the UK are high, but that has nothing to do with net zero. Prices are driven by the cost of gas, not the cost of renewables. The current cost-price for solar PV is 6.5p/kWh; for onshore wind it is 7.2p/kWh. That compares to 9-13p/kWh for new nuclear and 12p/kWh for new gas-powered plants.

Myth 5. We don’t need solar farms. To produce all the solar we need will use less than 1 per cent of the land area of the UK. That’s less than the coverage of golf courses. And much of the land under solar PV can still be used for agriculture and it also improves biodiversity. Yes, I fully agree solar should be on every suitable rooftop and car park. But there are two issues here. Firstly, rooftop solar is more expensive than field-based solar, and, secondly, there aren’t enough roofs and car parks to provide the electricity we are going to need.

We need to invest in renewables and we need to do it now. They are cheap, they are clean, and they remove our reliance on imported fossil fuels. Basingstoke needs to play its part; let’s stop accepting the fossil fuel industry’s myths and let’s start investing in locally-owned renewables.